“I’m sorry to have to tell you that your mother is dead,”
said the formal voice of the lawyer on the other end of the phone. “Oh,” said
Anna. There was nothing else to say. She wasn’t surprised, nor was she shocked.
She didn’t really feel anything. She told the lawyer that she’d fly there in
the next few days, and that he could make the funeral arrangements in the
meantime. The lawyer was surprised, and he was shocked. He repeated her calm
instructions, and she confirmed them. Anna hung up. It was finally over.